Irish broadcaster and internet personality Riyadh Khalaf has been crowned the champion of BBC One’s Celebrity MasterChef 2020.

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Khalaf emerged from the original 20 contestants to present a winning range of dishes largely inspired by his Iraqi roots and was awarded the trophy by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Khalaf said: “I am absolutely in shock. I can’t believe it, it’s an incredible feeling. This show I have been watching since I was in school and to have gone from being a fan of the show to winning the thing – this is without a doubt the biggest achievement of my life.”

riyadh khalaf, celebrity masterchef
BBC

Wallace said: “Riyadh has always been flambouyant, he’s always shown creativity and he’s always been passionate. I think Riyadh’s cooking came of age today.”

Torode added: “You look at those three dishes and I thought they were restaurant quality. Some people just get better, their food finer but more importantly more and more delicious. A deserved winner.”

In the final episode, Khalaf, alongside fellow finalists Sir Matthew Pinsent and Sam Quek, had two hours to present a flawless three-course meal, cooked to the very highest standards to impress the judges.

https://twitter.com/ScottKnudson/status/1288929312503222286

Khalaf's winning menu was a starter of monkfish scampi in beer batter with wild garlic mayonnaise and a lemon and onion seed garnish; a main course of beef fillet with port shallots, celeriac cream and a parmesan tuile; and to finish, white chocolate fondant with rhubarb poached in elderflower liqueur, topped with crumbled pistachio and edible flowers.

His fanbase was overjoyed.

https://twitter.com/PippyG82/status/1288925600489537536

To be fair, his creations looked delicious, as most viewers seemed to agree.

https://twitter.com/TellyLad/status/1288926123468914701

Quek blew the final by being late to finish, even though her combination of a starter of miso scallops, prawn done three ways and mango and passionfruit pavlova was overall judged a success by the judges, especially the "stunning" desert.

Pinsent created chicken ravioli to start with, followed by venison done two ways.

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